Control
by Spirited Wolfie
Summary: its FINALLY finished! E/S fic
1. Part One

Control

Disclaimer; okay, so unfortunately they don't belong to me.  They belong to marvel studios I believe.  Of course, in an ideal world Shalimar and Emma would both belong to me and I could carry out my perverted fantasies as and when I wanted.  Sigh. One day……..

Part one.

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          Emma awoke with a muffled scream.  She blindly reached for the light switch, banishing the darkness to the furthest corners of her room.  Closing her eyes, she tried to calm her breathing.  Focusing inwards, she gradually felt her heartbeat slow, her breathing returning to normal.  Thinking back to her dream, she shuddered, remembering the terror she'd felt when she'd been mentally invaded.  The nightmare of the dreamscape she'd been trapped in haunted her, and the helplessness she'd felt when she'd been blinded unsettled her.  Feeling the panic returning within her, she knew she wouldn't be getting back to sleep anytime soon.  Grabbing her robe, she headed out of her room, moving towards the kitchen.

          She silently padded down the hallway, taking care not to wake the others.  Pausing briefly outside Jesses' door, she tentatively scanned him with her mind.  He was finally sleeping peacefully.  He'd had a really rough time after the dreamscape incident, afraid to sleep.  Continuing along the corridor, she could hear Brennans' snores through his door.  No problems sleeping here she thought, chuckling to herself.  For once Adam was also in bed, rather than working in his laboratory.  Thankfully, he hadn't been exposed to his fears in the dreamscape, and although he had other demons of his own he slept easy.  Shalimars' room was in the opposite direction to where she was headed, and Emma felt no need to check on her.  Also, the feral would awake at the slightest sound, so she didn't want to risk disturbing her.

          The sleeping quarters were a fair distance away from the everyday living areas of the complex.  She finally arrived at her destination, making herself a mug of warm milk, hoping it would calm her and help her sleep.  She moved towards her favourite place in Sanctuary; the fountain.  She found it a calming place to be, where she could gather her thoughts, clear her mind.

          As she walked through the complex, she enjoyed the uncommon silence.  Usually the sounds of the other team-members could be heard, or the noises of a variety of machines running.  All that could be heard at this late hour was the low hum of the dim lighting, and she had to strain to hear that.  Suddenly she heard another sound, louder, more persistent but with an irregular rhythm.  Curious, she followed the sound back the way she had come, entering the main living room of the building.  Moving further into the room, she saw the simulator was running.  Odd.  Maybe Adam was working with it and forgot to switch it off.  But then….Adam wouldn't forget something like that, would he?     

          She walked cautiously to the stairs of the platform the simulator was supported on.  Looking up, she jumped as a GS agent crashed down at the top of the stairs, before vanishing.  Climbing the stairs, she paused halfway when she saw a large tangle of bodies engaged in battle.  She stared at the melee, trying to see who was running the simulator.  

          Suddenly all of the GS agents flew backwards in all directions, as Shalimar leapt vertically into the air.  Landing crouched; she readied for another attack.  Looking truly feral; eyes flashed yellow, teeth bared, hair flying in disarray behind her; Emma felt a brief flash of fear at the sight of a barely restrained Shalimar.  

Attempting to move to a more comfortable position, she slipped, her foot striking the step below.  Hearing a low growl behind her, she realised Shalimar must have become aware of her presence.  Before Emma could make another move, Shalimar had leapt gracefully onto the wall to the right of Emma, rebounding down to the floor to land at the base of the stairs.

Still in feral mode, lost in the adrenaline surge from the aftermath of her battle, she didn't recognise Emma immediately, assuming she was just another opponent to take down.  Growling deep in her throat, she moved cautiously towards Emma, circling her yet never losing eye contact.  Realising the danger she was in, Emma chose to stay motionless, maintaining the eye contact and trying not to let her fear show through.

"Shal, it's me, Emma.  Remember?"  She spoke softly, so as not to alarm the feral.  "C'mon Shal, you gotta snap out of it"

          A brief look of confusion passed over Shalimars' face, before she clamped down on the emotion and refocused on Emma.

"You're not Emma" she snarled.  "Emma was….she was….she's…." her voice caught in her throat, emotion threatening to overtake her.  Her fierce determination returned, her eyes flashing again.  "You're just another one of Eckharts' agents, you're trying to trick me!" her pacing increased in speed, becoming more frantic.  "I won't do it, I won't betray them!"  She launched herself at Emma, tackling her to the ground.

          Emma lay still, her chest heaving as she tried to control her breathing, her fear almost tangible, pinned by Shalimars' superior strength.

"Shal, it's me, I swear.  You're not in the dreamscape anymore, remember?  We stopped him, it's all over" Using her psychic abilities, she brushed across Shalimars' mind, sending messages of reassurance.

          Abruptly Shalimar stood, releasing Emma.  Slowly Emma stood, watching as a myriad of emotions flashed across Shalimars' face as she fought an internal battle.  Finally a look of anguish and despair settled on her face, as she backed up into a corner, trembling.  Hitting the wall, she slid down it to the floor, covering her face with her arms and curling up into a foetal position, still shaking.

          Emma carefully moved towards her, reaching out to her.  Shalimar shrunk further back into the corner, looking at Emma with unshed tears shining in her eyes.  Kneeling down close to her, Emma held out her arms, watching Shalimars' reaction.  After a moment's hesitation, Shalimar crawled into her embrace, nearly crushing Emma as she clutched at her tightly.  Holding her by the back and head, she mumbled into Emmas' hair.

"I'm sorry….I'm so sorry….I didn't….didn't mean to…." Once again her voice caught, stopping her anguished cries. 

          It suddenly struck Emma that she didn't know what had happened to Shalimar in the dreamscape.  Sure, she'd been in with Shalimar briefly, but she'd been in the dreamscape for hours before Emma had reached her.  Shalimar had been there for everyone else when they'd been describing their experiences and talking about their fears, but she'd never spoken about her own experiences.

          Maintaining contact, Emma stood and part-guided, part-carried Shalimar over to one of the couches.  Sitting down, she pulled Shalimar down next to her, guiding her down so that her head was resting on Emmas' lap.  Cradling Shalimar, she murmured words of comfort and support, gently stroking her hair and arm to soothe her.  Eventually she seemed to calm, her sobs reducing to the occasional sniffle, until she finally fell asleep.

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An hour or so later, Emma awoke from sleep to find Adam kneeling beside the couch.

"Everything all right?" he asked softly, indicating towards Shalimar.  Shrugging, she replied.

"I'm not sure yet.  I'm going to try and talk to her later, see if she'll tell me what happened" she paused to look at Shalimar, who was still curled up on Emmas' lap.  "Could you help me move her to her bed, so she can get some proper sleep?"

          Adam nodded, bending down and gently lifting Shalimar off from Emma, who slowly stood and stretched out.  Moving quietly they headed towards Shalimars' room, pausing briefly while Emma opened the door to the room.  Walking in, she pulled back the bed covers, then re-covered Shalimar once Adam had laid her down on the bed.  Turning to face Emma, he spoke softly.  "I'm going to the lab for a few hours if you need me"

          Emma nodded.  "Sure.  I'm gonna stay here for a while, make sure she's settled, then go back to bed myself."  Adam crept out, closing the bedroom door softly behind him.  Turning back to Shalimar, Emma tucked the covers around her chin, tenderly stroking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.  Giving her a soft kiss on the forehead, she turned to go, when she felt a hand grab hers.  Turning back, she saw Shalimar had her eyes half open, staring at her.

          "Stay….please….there's room" she mumbled. "Please?  I….don't want to be alone."  She looked down at the floor, hating admitting weakness to anyone, not wanting Emma to see how desperately she wanted her to stay.  Moving back to the bed, Emma took off her robe and climbed in, glad she'd decided on wearing pyjamas tonight.  She turned to face Shalimar.  

"Alright?  You okay now?"  Nodding sleepily, the other woman reached for her hand, grasping it tightly before falling back to sleep.  It didn't take long for Emma to join her.

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          Emma slowly woke in the morning, with the feeling that something was amiss.  Opening her eyes she remembered that she was in Shalimars' room.  Shalimars bed in fact.  

Attempting to turn to locate Shalimar, she suddenly came to the realisation that she couldn't move; she was being restrained.  Looking over her shoulder she could see Shalimar spooned up against her back, her arms wrapped around Emmas' waist, leg draped over Emmas.  Emma tried to shift, to move to a more comfortable position.  Not that this position isn't, um, comfortable Feeling Shalimar moving slightly, she stopped to see if she had woken up.  Then she felt Shalimar snuggling back into both the bed and Emma.  

Turning in Shalimars' grip, she stroked her long hair, watching as Shalimar let out a soft sigh in her sleep, then began to quietly purr in rhythm with Emmas' caress.  Curling up into Shalimars' embrace, she laid back down, head cradled on Shalimars shoulder, falling asleep with her soft purrs in her ear.

          Shalimar awoke soon after, confused briefly by the presence of another person in her bed.  Even more so by the fact that they were curled in her arms.  Using her heightened senses, she realised it was Emma, and relaxed.  Shalimar then noticed that she and Emma were sleeping in a more than friendly manner.  She could feel that their legs were entwined; one of hers on top of Emmas', resulting in Emmas' knee being slightly between her thighs. 

          They were face to face, mere centimetres apart, Emmas' breath tickling the hairs by her neck.  Bringing her hand up, she brushed away the annoying strand of hair, unconsciously returning her hand to the small of Emmas' back.  Jerking her hand back as though burned, she clenched her eyes shut.  Okay Shal, these are *not* thoughts to be having about one of your best friends.  One of your *straight*, female best friends Moving her hand, she picked up Emmas' hand from her hip, attempting to move it from her body.  

          However, the movement caused Emma to stir in her sleep.  Pausing in her movement, Shalimar laid completely still, waiting to see if Emma had awoken.  Muttering in her sleep, she re-wrapped her arm around Shalimars' waist, pulling them closer together and nuzzling back into her shoulder.  Shuffling around a bit more, in an attempt to get comfortable, she kicked her leg out, then moved her knee higher up Shalimars' thigh.  Gasping slightly, Shalimar gritted her teeth to keep from moaning out loud.  

"Emma" she said quietly, but urgently.  "Emma!  Wake….up!"  Eventually Emma opened one eye, looking at the woman in front of her.

          "Why'd ya wake me up?" she groaned sleepily, closing her eyes and burrowing her head into the crook of Shalimars arm and the pillow.  Shifting her position again, her leg pushed further between Shalimars.  Biting down on her lip, Shalimar suppressed another moan, clenching her eyes shut.  When she opened them again, she was face to face with Emma, who was giving her a look of concern.

"Shal?  You okay?"

"Uh huh.  But d'ya think you could maybe move your leg?  It's….um….somewhat….distracting."  Unable to look Emma in the eyes, she flushed and looked away.  Grinning to herself, Emma trailed her hand down from Shalimars' hip, along her leg, until she reached the point where they met.

"D'ya mean this leg?" she asked, watching Shalimars' reaction.  Unable to speak, Shalimar just nodded sharply.  "So….in what way exactly do you want me to move it?  Like this?"  Slowly, she moved her leg up and down the inside of Shalimars' thigh, watching as Shalimars' breathing sped up.  "….or do you mean like this?" she asked, abruptly pulling her leg away and breaking the contact, delighting in the whimpers the action caused.  She was amazed at the control she had over the woman in front of her, simply by the merest touch.  "You want more?" she whispered into Shalimars' ear.  

          Without warning Shalimar grabbed Emmas' shoulders, forcing her onto her back on the bed and straddling her stomach.  Leaning down, she nipped her earlobe.

         "Much more" she replied throatily, kissing her way down Emmas' neck.  This time it was Emma who reacted, arching up underneath Shalimar, gripping her shoulders.  Running her hands up behind Shalimars' head, she pulled her down so their lips were millimetres apart.  Looking up, she made eye contact with Shalimar, then closed the distance between them, softly grazing her lips with her own, before pulling her down further and increasing the pressure, then separating; asking for more by opening her mouth slightly, running her tongue along her top lip.  Leaning up to meet Shalimar halfway, her weight propped up on her arms behind her, she trembled as they kissed again, tongues intermingling briefly before Shalimar withdrew again.  

         Letting out a frustrated groan, Emma decided it was time to re-gain control.  Using a move she remembered from training, she flipped Shalimar onto her back, pinning her arms together above her head so that she was laid out along Shalimars' length.  Leaning over her, she smiled triumphantly, watching Shalimar under her.

         Looking up at Emma, Shalimar tested her strength, attempting to move out of her grip.  She was impressed at how firm a grip she had on her.  Looking up again, she saw Emmas' victorious smirk, and felt a wave of fear wash over her.  Closing her eyes to suppress the feeling, she saw herself back in the dreamscape; could feel the chairs restraints clamping down on her, once again saw Eckharts' triumphant face as he forced her to watch them torture her team-mates for information.

         Staring down at Shalimars' concentrated face, Emma suddenly felt fear emanating from her friend, becoming terror and anger.  Shalimars' eyes abruptly snapped open as she looked wildly around her, her breath coming in short gasps.

"No!" she squirmed under Emmas' grasp, fighting to get away.  "No, you can't!  Stop!"  Lost in her memory, she threw Emma off of her, then ran out of the room.  Stunned, Emma sank down beside the bed.  Shit.  What have I done?  

                   Running along the corridor, Shalimar headed for the garage.  Grabbing her motorbike, not bothering with the helmet, she sped out of the garage.  Pulling over a mile or so along the road, she pulled off her silver ring, putting it in her pocket to stop her friends tracing her.  Looking behind her, she stared at the place she called home before heading off again.  

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         Sitting in her own room, Emma lay on her bed facing the wall.  She knew that her team-mates were worried about her, but she also knew that talking to them was something she really didn't feel like doing.  Once again, Adam opened the door to her room, peering inside.  One of the many advantages of her abilities was the power to alter what people could see.  Which is what she'd been doing every time someone had come looking for her.  She watched as Adam entered the room, waiting for him to leave as he had the other times that he'd been to check on her.  

         "Emma?  Emma, we know you're in here.  We traced your ring signal."  He paused, looking round the room and sighing.

"Emma, please, stop hiding.  We just want to know what happened.  We're worried."  

         Curling up against the wall, she stopped altering his mind.  Adam jumped as she appeared right next to him.

         "Jeez Emma, you're enough to give a man a heart attack, you know that?" Staring at her for a while, he scrutinised her appearance.  "You ok?"  She nodded, not looking at him.  "You've been crying, haven't you?"  Once again she nodded.  Sitting down next to her on the bed, he drew her into a hug, stroking her hair with his free hand.  "Want to talk about it?"  She shook her head, holding onto him tighter, fighting the return of tears.  "Ok.  But if you do, you know where we are, alright?"  She nodded, and he stood up, heading towards the door.  

         As he was about to leave, Emma looked up.  "How's Shalimar?"  Adam suddenly looked nervous, uncomfortable.  

"We don't know.  We can't find her, and she's taken off her com-link."  Emma buried her head in her hands.  "Her motorbike's gone too.  Jesse and Brennen are out looking for her in the Double Helix.  Don't worry Emma, I'm sure she's fine, and the guys will bring her in."  With that he left the room, leaving Emma alone with her fears.

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	2. Part Two

Control

Disclaimer; see pt 1 for disclaimers.  Basically, they ain't mine, and probably never will be.  'cept in my hyper-active imagination. Heh heh.

Part 2

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         Driving along the motorway, Shalimar relaxed, enjoying the feeling of the wind in her hair, the freedom she always felt when she was riding her bike at high speeds.  It felt great to just get away, to forget about everything that had happened, to get out of the confines of the Sanctuary.  Speeding along, she noticed she had the road almost entirely to herself, except for a car she could see a short distance in front of her.  Revving the bike, she accelerated to pass the car.  As she got nearer, it seemed that the car was slowing down, coming on a level with her to her right.  It looked vaguely familiar to her, but she put that out of her mind as she focused on overtaking the car.  Because of this focus, she didn't see the window on the black car scroll down, nor did she see another car of the same design begin to pull up beside her on the other side.  As she began to pull away, she felt a sharp pain in her right side.  Glancing down to see, she lost control of the bike, swerving to the side away from the first car.  As she turned the other car sped up.  

         Crashing into it, her bike flipped over the hood, taking her with it.  Still attached to the bike, she hit ground behind the car, skidding along half under the bike before she came off it.  Struggling, she crawled to her hands and knees, dizzy from the tranquilliser dart that had impaled her and caused her loss of control.  Looking down, she ripped out the dart, throwing it away from her.  She sat back down on her knees, head on the floor as she waited for the dizzy spell to pass.  Briefly looking up, she saw three faint black-clad figures moving towards her before she passed out in the middle of the road.

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         Sitting in her room, Emma crossed her legs and closed her eyes, reaching out with her mind in search of Shalimars'.  Although she knew that Shalimar probably wouldn't welcome the intrusion, her concern for her friend overwhelmed her.  Reaching out, she scanned as far as she could, desperation causing her to look further and longer than she should do.  

         Coming back to her room, she inhaled sharply as the slight ache in her head intensified.  Bending down, she clutched her head in her hands, then sat up and reached for the painkillers she kept in her bedside cabinet.  Lying back on her bed, she closed her eyes briefly.  I'll just rest awhile and then try again were her last thoughts as she drifted off into sleep.  

         Whilst she slept, Jesse and Brennen returned in the Double Helix.  Walking through from the craft, they met Adam halfway.

"Any luck?" he asked them quietly, so as not to disturb Emmas' sleep.  Both Jesse and Brennen shook their heads.  

         "We didn't find Shal, but….we did find her bike." Pausing, Brennen turned to look at Jesse before continuing.  "It was in a ditch Adam, trashed.  We brought it back with us, but I don't think you'll find anything on there that'll help us find her.  It looks like it was in a pretty bad accident."

         "How's Em?"  Jesse asked, glancing in the direction of Emmas' room.

         "Last time I checked she was asleep, that was about an hour ago."  Adam frowned slightly.  "She's taking this real hard guys; I think she's blaming herself for what's happened, although she still won't tell me what happened between them to make Shalimar run out like that." 

         "Yeah, it must've been something pretty big to make Shal react like that."  Brennen looked at Adam, concern on his face. "How'd you think she's gonna take the latest news?" 

         Adam sighed, shaking his head.  "I dunno guys.  If it wasn't for her powers I probably wouldn't tell her, but the problem is we're not gonna be able to keep this from her even if we wanted to.  We're just gonna have to give her the most positive outlook on the situation that we can."  Turning, as a group they headed to break the news to Emma.  

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         Shalimar awoke in a cold dark room.  Lying completely still, she kept her eyes shut and used her heightened senses to investigate the room she was in.  Listening intently, she could hear nothing but silence.  Opening her eyes, she confirmed with her eyes that there were no guards near her.  Looking around, making as little noise or movement as possible, she saw that she was in a large laboratory, strapped down to a metal table of some kind.  Flexing her arms and legs, she tested the strength of her bonds.  She felt the leather straps around her chest and legs give way slightly, however the metal cuffs around her wrists and ankles didn't budge.  Trying to lift her head, she realised there was also a leather strap around her neck, which stopped her from lifting her head more than an inch or so off of the table.  Pausing in her exploration of her environment, she focused on a minute sound that she could hear in the distance.  Inhaling deeply, she could smell the sickly odour of Eckharts' after-shave, growing stronger with each passing second.  

         Analysing the options available to her, she realised that the best chance she had was to 'play dead' until a better opportunity presented itself.  Forcing herself to relax, she closed her eyes.  From her brief examination of the laboratory that she was being held in, she knew that the entrance must be behind her somewhere, as she couldn't see it anywhere in front of her.  Calming her breathing, she told herself that she was taking the sensible option, not the cowards' way out of a confrontation.  

         Concentrating, she strained to hear every sound possible.  Her patience was eventually rewarded, when she heard a gust of air a fair distance behind her, and the soft sound of foot steps.  Forcing her facial features to relax, she heard the footsteps coming closer, then come to a halt beside her.  From the scent of the being beside her, she concluded that, although it was a man, it wasn't Eckhart.  Which probably meant that he was watching through a viewing window somewhere nearby.  Listening to the movements of the man by her side, she almost missed the subtle entrance of a second person, this time Eckhart.  

         "Is the subject ready Doctor?"

         "Yes sir.  All the tests have been run, and the subject is ready for implantation.  We can begin whenever you wish."

         "Good, good.  Well, I see no reason for delay, begin the procedure now."  Pausing by her side, he gazed down at her briefly, then turned to walk away.

         "Wait!"  Shalimar opened her eyes, calling to Eckhart.  "What are you going to do to me?"  Turning back, Eckhart walked around the table so that she could see him.

         "Why hello, my dear Miss Fox, so gracious of you to join us in the land of the living.  Such a shame you won't be here for much longer."

         Repeating her question, she turned to face him, fixing her yellow eyes on him, lifting her lip in a snarl.  "What are you going to do to me?"

         "Did you ever hear the saying 'curiosity killed the cat'?  Well we're about to see how true that saying is.  You, my dear, are of course the cat, whereas I shall provide the curiosity."  Turning to the Doctor, he nodded once.  "Proceed."  Beginning to walk away, he paused once again by her side.  "I'm so glad you're awake for this.  It should make it so much more interesting to observe; far more entertaining".  He then retreated back to the safety of the viewing-port above the laboratory.

         Looking frantically around her, Shalimar tried to find a route of escape.  Her efforts increased as she heard the whine of a machine starting up behind her, then the hum and buzz as it reached full power.  Looking up as far as she could, she could see the pointed end of a machine being lowered towards the back of her head.  The neck strap prevented her from getting a clear look, however she could tell that it was ready for use.  Looking at the Doctor, she followed his gaze up to the viewing-port, where she could now see Eckhart sitting.  She watched as he nodded to the Doctor in the laboratory, she then heard a variety of clicks as the machine was engaged.  The hum of the machine behind her reached an unbearable level, as her sensitive hearing complained at the noise.  Then all she knew was pain, and a blinding white light exploded behind her eyes as her body spasmed in the restraints.  She was grateful when she finally passed into unconsciousness.  

         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

         A few days after the loss of Shalimar, Adam called an emergency meeting of the remaining members of Mutant X.  Once they were all assembled, he sat down to address them.

         "Whilst I know you all want to continue the search for Shalimar, as I do, we still have a duty to perform.  I've received reports from a trusted source that Eckhart has found and taken control of one of the safe-houses.  You're going to have to go out and confirm the reports; if they're true you need to free the captured new mutants and get word out that the safe-house is no longer safe."  

         Nodding, the team stood and headed out of the lab towards the Double Helix.  Adam watched as Emma trailed behind the other members of the team, shoulders slumped, head low.  He resolved to talk to her when they returned, and eventually get the truth out of her about what had happened between her and Shalimar on the day she disappeared.  Watching them until they were out of his view, he went back to his computer and began searching for data on the whereabouts of Shalimar.

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         Arriving in the vicinity of the safe-house, they landed the Double Helix on the roof of the building, then headed down towards the entrance.  Walking through, they saw that it was the standard safe-house layout – a large deep room, accessed by a metal walkway and flight of stairs.  Walking down into the main room, they looked around, checking for any signs of Genomex activity.  Finding nothing, they met up at the base of the stairs.

         "Nothing here that I can see" Brennen reported.  

         "Likewise.  It all seems normal to me."

         Emma closed her eyes, focusing outwards.  "I can't sense anyone here but us."  Then she frowned.  "Wait a minute, I can….  I'm sensing someone familiar….but not familiar.  I don't know how to explain it."  She shrugged in frustration.  "It's like I know them, but I don't."

         "Where are they?"  Jesse asked, preparing to go on the offensive.  Once again focusing her energies outwards, she scanned the surrounding area.

         "Approaching the building.  I'm sensing four Genomex agents and this mystery person."  She looked at the two of them.  "We should stay, find out who this person is and seal up the safe-house – it seems pretty clear that Eckhart knows it's here."  Nodding in agreement, they spread out to find suitable points from which to view the agents, whilst remaining safely hidden.        Looking up, she glanced at both Jesse and Brennen to indicate that the intruders were nearby.  The four agents walked in first, blocking the fifth figure from view.  Responding to a silent command, the agents dispersed throughout the safe-house, giving the hidden Mutant X members their first clear view of the unknown agent, who had her back to them.  Moving to get a clearer look, Emma accidentally knocked against one of the supply boxes she was hiding behind.

         The fifth agent leapt vertically; twisting mid-air to land crouched on the railing of the walkway.  Emma gasped aloud, moving out from her hiding place.

         "Shalimar?  Shal, is that you?"  She took a hesitant step towards the woman on the railing.  Looking disdainfully down at her, the agent jumped off of the railing, then immediately launched into an attack, until she had Emma on the ground and was standing over her.  Staring into Emmas' confused eyes, she growled low in her throat.  Flicking her hair behind her, she crouched down to come on a level with Emma.  

         "Shalimar is no more.  She is gone, forever.  *I* am here now…."  Leaning forwards she roughly stroked Emmas' jaw-line, holding onto her chin.  "….and I'm not going anywhere."  Leaping into the air, she returned to the walkway, indicating that the other agents should follow her.  

         Emma put her head in her hands, curled in on herself, and cried.

         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

          Inside her mind Shalimar fought against her restraints, hearing mocking laughter echoing all around her at her failure to do so.  Renewing the battle with vigour as she heard Emmas' cries in the distance, she watched her body being totally out of her control as she struggled to get free.  She knew she could never return to Mutant X after a betrayal of this magnitude, not that they'd want her, but she refused to allow Eckhart to control her and force her to hurt them.  So once again, she fought to regain control of her body and mind.

          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	3. Part Three

Control

Disclaimer; sigh not mine.  sniff never will be.  Ah well – why else do we have imaginations?!  

Part 3

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         Brennen and Jesse paced anxiously around the main recreational area of the Sanctuary, waiting to see what Adam had managed to get from Emma.  Brennen sat heavily on the sofa.  

         "Man she's stubborn.  I'd have cracked ages ago – you know what Adams' questioning sessions are like."  Jesse paused in his pacing to look at Brennen.

         "She still blames herself for what happened, dunno why.  Shame we don't have a telepath or summit – just read the thoughts from her brain.  Would be so much easier than this."  Brennen sighed.  "I hope Shal's alright.  What the fuck did Eckhart do to her though?  I mean, this is Shal we're talking about, it would take a hell of a lot to turn her."

         Jesse glanced away, his voice wavering.  "What if….what if she was never on our side?  What if she was one of Eckharts' long term spies?  I mean, she could be telling him the location of Sanctuary right now for all we know."  Brennen stood then, turning to face Jesse.

         "You know Shalimar would never do that.  She'd rather die than give us away.  We're family; she won't give up on us, and we're not gonna give up on her."  Speaking more gently, he took hold of Jesses' jaw, turning so he looked him in the eyes.  "We're gonna get her back, Jess, you gotta believe me on that, okay?"  Letting go, he clapped him on the shoulder.  "C'mon, let's go see what Adam found out – I'm fed up of waiting."

         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

         Opening her eyes, Shalimar realised she was back on the metal table in the laboratory.  With a killer headache.  Whimpering as she moved her head, she looked around her.  The lab was in darkness, the only light in the form of a pale glow from the viewing port, and the many blinking lights from the various machines surrounding her.  Closing her eyes as she began to fall asleep, she jumped as the laboratory lights came to life, wincing as her headache began the growth to migraine.  Opening her eyes, she fought to focus and found Eckhart and a new Doctor standing over her.

         "You're a lot stronger than you first appear, Miss Fox.  I'm impressed.  But this time you won't be so lucky," Turning to the man beside him, he spoke in a slightly more menacing tone "….As I'd *hate* to lose another Doctor."  Turning back to Shalimar, he continued "I do so hate failure.  Well my dear, I hopefully won't be speaking with you again, if all goes as planned."  He walked from the laboratory, leaving the Doctor and Shalimar alone in the room.  

         Once again Shalimar felt the agonising pain throughout her body, as the bright light appeared and took her back into unconsciousness.

         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

         Opening her eyes after what seemed like ages, she realised she was once again trapped in her psyche, this time alone.  Looking around, she took a closer look at her environment.  She appeared to be in a cell of some kind, darkness all around her, an appropriate representation for her confinement within her mind.  She was chained to the wall of the 'cell', hanging a few inches off the floor by her wrists.  Whilst she knew it was all quite literally in her mind, she could still feel the pain the cuffs on her wrists were causing as all her weight hung from them.  Shifting, she soon realised that movement caused her more pain, and that there was no comfortable position to hang from.  Suddenly she sensed movement across from her; a flash of colour, a slight shuffling sound on the other side of her mental cell.  

         "Who's there?"  she called, trying to sound confident.  Truthfully, the thought of something else lurking around inside her mind terrified her, but she refused to give the intruder the satisfaction of seeing her scared.  Staring at the point where she thought she'd seen the movement, she saw a shadowy figure moving in the darkness.  Swinging her head round, she frantically tried to get a clear look.  "Come out!" she yelled, putting her feet on the wall to pull against her restraints, with no effect.

         "It's pointless" a quiet, hissing voice said.  "Your mind is in my control now, and you'll never escape while I'm here" The figure moved closer to Shalimar, staying away from the pale light that filtered into the middle of the cell.  All that Shalimar could see was a vague dark outline, and a pair of intense, green eyes.  "And I have no intention of going anywhere anytime soon."  The figure began to walk away from her, vanishing into the darkness yet again.

         "Wait! Who are you?"  Shalimar yelled, trying to see where the figure had gone.  The reply echoed around the cell in a menacing voice. 

          "Your worst nightmare."

          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

          Brennen, Jesse, and Adam sat around the briefing table, planning their next move for the recovery of Shalimar.

          "All I could get from Emma was that she and Shalimar had a dispute of some kind; she refuses to tell me exactly what happened between the two of them."  Adam looked down at the table.  "And that the person that you encountered in the safe-house wasn't the Shalimar we know.  Emma doesn't know what's been done to her, but she said she could barely recognise her.  She also said that whoever it was told her that Shalimar was gone for good."  Looking back up at them, he sighed.  "We've got to face it guys, we might not win this one.  This time we might actually have lost her."  

          "No."  Brennen stood, leaning over the table and looking at both of them.  "No, I won't accept that.  Shalimar's strong – whatever they've done to her she can overcome it with our help, we just have to get her back.  That should be our focus for now.  That and Emma, who I'm going to go and check on now."  Turning he stalked out of the room.

          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

          Jesse and Adam were still at the briefing table when Brennen returned a half- hour later.  

          "Hey, either of you seen Emma?  She's not in her room, and I've checked all of her normal hideouts."  Lifting his hand to his mouth, Adam spoke into his com-link.

          "Emma?  Emma, answer me!"  Slamming his hand back down on the table, he silently fumed.

          "Where'd you think she's gone?"

          "Where else?!  She's gone on some foolish solo mission to get to Shalimar.  Which most likely means she's headed straight to Genomex.  You two take the Double Helix and find her, I'm going to try and trace her ring.  Let's go!"  Running from the room all three prepared for their part in the now double rescue mission.

          "Okay guys, primary goal is to retrieve Emma.  If you can get Shalimar as well, that'd be a bonus, but don't put yourselves at risk to get to her.  Understood?"  

          "Yup, got it.  We're heading out now.  We'll report in as soon as we know something."  Engaging the Double Helix, they flew out of the hanger towards Genomex, cloaking mid-air.

          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

          Emma drove along deserted back-roads, out in the middle of no-where.  She'd been following her telempathic senses for the past few hours, grabbing onto the faint mental trace that she had of Shalimar.  She could feel the weight of her com-link ring in her pocket, a constant reminder that she was going completely against Adams' wishes.  He is gonna be *so* mad with me.  Well, maybe if I manage to bring Shal back with me he won't be too bad Her lip twitched up in a sarcastic grin. Yeah, right!  And maybe the moon *is* made of cheese after all Feeling her link growing stronger, she slowed the car and looked around her.  The horizon was clear for as far as she could see.  Frowning, she focused harder, finally pinpointing it somewhere to her left.  Staring out of the window, she carefully examined the horizon.  Then she saw it – a small decrepit structure a short drive away.  She couldn't quite make out what it was, but her senses were definitely drawing her in that direction.  Turning the car, she looked for the nearest access point, and drove on.  

          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

          Adams voice came over the link once again.  "Hey guys, I've got a hit off of the car Emma's in.  She's quite a distance away from your current location – I'm sending the data now."

          Watching the screen at his seat, Jesse saw the information loading onto the computer.  "Right Adam, we've got it."  Altering the course of the Double Helix, he and Brennen prepared to land the craft.  "There's plenty of open space – loads of fields.  Seems like a strange place for Eckhart to build a hideout, doesn't it?"  Brennen looked out the window as the ground streamed past.

          "Yeah, definitely not his style.  Don't think it's a trap do you?"

          "Let's just keep a lookout – you know what Eckhart's like.  And we don't know what state Emma's gonna be in when we get there, she might not be able to help us."  Arriving at the co-ordinates, they could see a silver car parked near a run-down building.  "Wonder what that was used for?"  Brennen mused.

          "Don't ask."  Jesse replied.  "Chances are we won't want to know."  Chuckling at his comment, Brennen engaged the landing gear, stopping close to the building.  Standing up, they both moved to the exit.

          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

          Emma paused at the doorway to the building.  Closing her eyes, she scanned for any people in the vicinity.  Other than the altered Shalimar, whose mind she couldn't read properly, she couldn't sense anyone nearby.  Carefully pushing the door open slightly, she slid into the building.  On the inside, it was one giant room, the ceiling stretching further than she could see in the dim light.  The room was vast, she could barely see across to the other side, and seemed almost completely empty.  Sticking to the edge of the room, she walked around, looking for any signs of life or what the room could have been used for in the past.  She was halfway along the second wall when she heard it; a low moan, as if from a wounded animal.  Standing still, she shivered, suddenly wishing she had brought Jesse or Brennen with her.  Pull yourself together Emma!  she chided, gathering her courage.  Moving towards the sound, she found herself walking to the middle of the room.  It was then that she saw the small figure huddled in the middle of the room.  Nearing it, she sensed that it was the altered Shalimar.  Warily circling the prone form, she gradually got near enough that she could see the face of her friend.  Her golden hair was partially covering her face, however Emma could see one eye through the hair.  Staring at it, she blinked, looking closer.  The colour was changing, from the yellow feral colour to an eerie green and then back again.  Crouching down to the floor, she got into position to run if the need arose, then cleared her mind and entered that of Shalimars'.

Opening her eyes, she looked around her.  She was standing in the middle of a barely lit room, the darkness encompassing her.  She could hear the soft sound of breathing, like a person in deep sleep.  Walking through the room, she explored her environment, looking for the source of the sound.  

In the near distance she could see a large object hanging from the wall.  Going forwards, she had covered about half the distance before she recognised the object, or rather person, hanging from the wall.  Running, she covered the distance swiftly, stopping before crashing into the wall.  Standing before her friend, she gazed in horror at her condition.  Speaking softly, she reached out towards her friend, laying her hand on the side of her face.  

"Shalimar?  Shalimar, it's Emma; wake up?  Please, c'mon, you've got to wake up."  Looking up, she examined the cuffs that were holding her hands together above her head.  It appeared to be one large cuff, holding the two wrists together.  Reaching up, she stretched up on tiptoe to get a better grip on them.  "Hang on Shal; we'll have you out of them in a minute."  Holding onto either side of the cuff, she gave a swift tug to pull them apart.  Straining, she managed to separate them enough to get her fingers inside to get a better hold.  Relaxing slightly, she prepared herself, then tore them apart.  Catching Shalimar as she fell, she staggered slightly under the weight of her, awkwardly laying her on the floor.  Kneeling down beside her, she gently shook her shoulder.  "Shal, c'mon it's time to wake up now."

Groaning, Shalimars' eyes opened slightly.  "Wha….Emma?"  Confusion was replaced by fear as she realised her friend was in her mind with her.  "No!  No, you've got to get out now, before it gets you!  Leave, now!" her voice was rasping, terrified for the safety of her friend.  Struggling to get up, she rolled onto her side, coughing harshly at the sudden movement.  

"Shal, calm down, this is all in your mind.  There's nothing in here that can actually hurt you, it's all your imagination."

"No, no this isn't!  Eckhart did something to me; put something in here with me!  You have to get out before it realises, before it comes after you!"  Helping her to sit up, Emma turned Shalimars' face up to hers.  

"I'm not leaving here until I'm sure you're coming back with me.  I know you might not like me anymore, but I can't leave you behind Shal, I can't do that."  Desperation lined her voice, her eyes glistening slightly. 

Shalimar frowned momentarily.  "What do you mean….not like you?"

Emma looked away, unable to face Shalimar.  "When we were in your room, you….you seemed to be upset with me, then you ran out.  I assumed that was because of what I….did."  Pausing, she shook slightly.  "I honestly didn't mean to….I would never…."  She stopped, unable to continue what she was saying, unable to look at Shalimar.  

Shalimar meanwhile was deep in thought.  Thinking back to the day they'd been in her room.  Realisation dawned, and a horrified look appeared on her face.  "Oh shit."  She muttered.  "Emma….Emma look at me."  Reaching up, she gently took her face in her hand, turning it so she could see her.  "Emma….please….look at me.  What happened that day….it wasn't anything to do with you.  I….I can't talk about it right now, but I swear it wasn't you."  She smiled slightly "….or what you were doing.  You have to believe me, okay?" Seeing the doubt still in her eyes, she pulled her down into a close embrace.  Returning the embrace, they sat there for a few moments before Emma felt Shalimar tense.

          "What is it?  What's wrong?"  

"It's back.  Emma, you have to get out of here….now.  Please, don't argue with me, you have to leave me."

"No!  Whatever it is, we'll face it together.  Just like we always do.  Shal, I told you, I'm not leaving you – I *can't* leave you."  Dragging her up to her feet, she leaned her up against the wall, keeping a close watch behind her.  "What is it anyway?" 

Shalimar fought to stay upright against the wall.  "I don't know – it's like a second person that Eckhart's put in my head.  I think he dumped us out here when who – or what- ever it is failed to control me.  They kept having to repeat the procedure to implant it in me."  She cringed, remembering the pain she'd felt each time they'd used the machine on her.  "I haven't seen it yet – it always stays in the shadows.  All I ever see are these kinda green eyes, staring at me."

"D'ya mean like those eyes over there?"  Emma asked, staring at a point directly in front of them.

"Yuh-huh."  Shalimar shook, fear clutching at her.  "Just like those."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dum dum duuuuuuuuuuuuuuummmm!  Heh heh, oh look, a cliff hanger.  How bizarre.  snigger.


	4. Part Four

Control

Disclaimer; okay, this we've bin thru before.  For da fourth time….They ain't mine!   Happy now?  He he!

Part 4

          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Brennen and Jesse approached the building with caution, moving fast whilst looking out for any GS agents.  Coming to the door, Brennen peered in, before darting into the room, closely followed by Jesse.  Looking around, all seemed clear.

"Looks pretty quiet to me.  Where'd ya think Emma is?"  Jesse continued his examination of the huge room.  Brennen pointed to a shape in the middle of the room.

"Dunno, but since that's the only thing in this room I suggest we start there."  Wandering over, with Jesse guarding their rear, he stared at the shape they were headed towards, trying to make out what it was.  "Hey Jess – does that in any way resemble a couple of people to you, or is it just my brain fuzzing out?"  Stopping, Jesse focused on the object on the floor in front of them.

"Shit! Yes, yes it does!"  Breaking into a run, they sprinted across the floor, skidding to a halt beside the two figures.  "Adam, we have a situation here!  Adam!"

"What's happened?"  His voice was anxious.  "Did you find her?"

"Yeah, we've found them both, but they're both unconscious.  We dunno if we should move them or not.  Thing is, we're not in a very secure location – if someone were to walk in they'd see us immediately, and there's no shelter of any kind."  Looking down at them, he frowned.  "They're in a bad way Adam.  I don't know what's wrong with them, but neither of them looks like they've got much left in them."

"Right, get them into the Double Helix and over here as soon as possible.  As soon as you're en-route, run some scans on them and send me the data, that way I can at least have some idea of what's going on."

Bending down, Jesse grabbed Emma, holding her by the knees and shoulders.  Shifting her in his arms, he hurried to the exit.  Brennen threw Shalimar over his shoulder, swiftly following and catching up with Jesse.  Neither said a word as they entered the Double Helix, Brennen piloting the ship while Jesse took scans of the two women.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shalimar watched helplessly as Emma battled with the shadowy figure that had haunted her for as long as she could remember.  She felt her heart wrench with every blow that Emma took, as she battled to protect her friend.  She was fighting with everything she had, a sheen of sweat breaking out on her skin as she darted out of the way of the creature, drawing it away from Shalimars' vulnerable position.

Dragging herself to her knees, Shalimar used the wall to pull herself up to a standing position.  "Hey!"  She yelled out to the creature, hoping to lure it back towards her so that Emma could get out.  "Hey, c'mon, I'm the one you want right?  So come get me!  It's not like I'm going anywhere."  The creature paused in its attack on Emma, beginning to move towards Shalimar.  "That's right, come get me – you get rid of me you got this body to yourself, remember?  That's what you want, isn't it?"  Leaning heavily on the wall, she began staggering along it, leading it away from Emma.

Suddenly the creature shrieked in pain, falling to the floor.  Looking up, Shalimar saw Emma standing over the creature, the pair of metal cuffs in her hands, stained with the creatures' blood.  Prodding it with her foot, she rolled it over.

"Is it…?"  Shalimar sank to the floor in relief.

"Yeah.  It's over Shal."  Emma crossed the distance between them, sitting on the floor to support her.  "It's over."

Suddenly the world around them disappeared.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eyes flickering open, Emma blinked against the bright lights of the medical laboratory.  Propping herself up on her elbows, she looked around her.  Shalimar was laid out on the next bed along, deep in sleep.  Standing, Emma winced.  Ouch!  That may have been in her mind, but it sure hurts out here!  

Shuffling over to Shalimars' bed, she was still standing there when Adam walked in to check on them.

"Hey" he rested his hand on her shoulder.  "What're you doing out of bed?  You're supposed to be resting." 

          Ignoring his questions, she turned to look back at Shalimar.  "Is she gonna be okay?" 

          "She'll be fine, she just needs her rest.  Like you."

          Emma shook her head, suppressing a yawn.  "No, I want to be here when she wakes up.  Please Adam?"

          Pulling up a chair for her, he conceded defeat.  "Alright.  On the condition that if you feel tired, you get into your bed, okay?"  Nodding she sat down next to the bed, taking hold of Shalimars' hand.  Turning from the two, Adam exited the room.  Looking back through the glass doors, he saw that Emma was already asleep, head resting on Shalimars' stomach as she kept a tight hold of her hand.  Smiling, he walked off to tell Brennen and Jesse that their friends were going to be fine.

          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

          Opening her eyes, Shalimar felt a brief surge of panic as she saw the bright laboratory lights above her, and felt something restraining her.  Recognising the Sanctuarys' medical laboratory, she calmed.  Still, that didn't explain the restraints.  Maybe they think I'm still dangerous Trying to sit up, her restraint grumbled in disapproval.  Pausing, Shalimar looked down, to see Emma stretched out across her – one hand holding onto Shalimars, head resting on her stomach, with her other arm stretched out across to hang off the other side of the bed.  Smiling to herself, she gently shook her awake.

          "Em, you can't sleep like that, you'll hurt yourself."

          "Huh?"  Emma looked up at her through sleep filled eyes.

          "You really aren't a morning person are you?"  she laughed.

          "Wha?"  Emma looked momentarily confused, then laid her head back down to its original position, intent on returning to sleep.  Shalimar rolled her eyes, then shifted away from Emma.  As Shalimar moved, she let Emma slide off her; as her head hit the bed she woke up.

          "Ow!  What the hell?!"

          "I said, you can't sleep like that, you'll hurt yourself."  Shalimar patted the space next to her.  "Come up here, there's plenty of room."

          Crawling up beside her, Emma leaned back into Shalimar, sighing.  "I really missed you, y'know."

          "Mmm….likewise" Shalimar murmured, wrapping herself around Emma.  "Sleep now…." she muttered, drifting off into a peaceful sleep. 

          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

          The next evening, Adam walked in to once again check on his two patients.  They had moved little during the night and following day, but now Adam wanted his laboratory back.  Stepping through the door, he clapped his hands loudly.

          "Alright, rise and shine!  Up an' at 'em!  Etcetera, etcetera - you get my point."  At the lack of response to his calls, he walked over to them and yelled "Move it!"

          Jumping up in shock, Emma proceeded to fall off the bed.  Shalimar merely rolled lazily onto her front and looked up at him.

          "Hi Adam."

          Brennen walked in from the doorway to help Emma up.  "God you're an evil bastard sometimes Adam!"  He laughed.  Pulling Emma to her feet, he sat her back on the edge of the bed.

          "Yeah" she mumbled, still drowsy from sleep.  Sitting up, Shalimar put her arm around Emmas' shoulder.

          "Aw blesh!  Did the mean old man frighten you?" In response Emma just glared at her.

          "Hey!"  Adam exclaimed.  "Less of the 'old' you!" 

          "Or what?!"  Shalimar smirked, the fire returning to her eyes.  Adam paused.

          "Touché.  Anyways, as I was trying to say; I want my lab back, so move out."  He made waving arm gestures towards the door.  "Go on, get!"

          "C'mon Em – we know where we're not wanted!  She laughed, standing up and grabbing her arm.  

          "And hey, one last thing" Adam called.  "….it's good to have you both back"

          "Yeah" Jesse and Brennen joined in.

          "And Emma, you ever pull a stunt like that again, I'll ground you!"  Adam grinned to show he was joking.

          "Aye sir!"  Emma mock-saluted, before she was practically dragged out of the door by Shalimar.

          "C'mon, let's go get cleaned up and get some food!"  she exclaimed, impatient at the wait.

          In the silence of their leaving, the three men looked at each other and laughed.

          "Yep, they're certainly back!"  Jesse grinned.  "I'm already starting to miss the peace and quiet!"

          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

          Emma and Shalimar walked to their rooms together, separating when they reached Emmas'.

          "Meet you in fifteen mins, yeah?"  Shalimar called as she continued up the corridor.

          "Umm…make it half an hour.  What?!" she protested.  "Some of us like water a bit more than you do Shal!"

          "Okay, okay – half hour then.  But no later!"  she warned, entering her room.

          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

          Forty minutes later, Emma was standing outside of her bedroom, leaning on the open doorframe.  Tapping her feet, she glanced again at her watch as Shalimar emerged from her own room.

          "And what sort of thirty minutes do you call this?"  Emma teased, smiling at the embarrassment on Shalimars' face as she walked over.

          "I….uh….got distracted."  She replied, not looking at Emma.

          "Oh?  By what?" 

          "I was….umm….thinking."

          "About….?"  Emma prompted, her curiosity getting the better of her. 

          Shalimar moved closer; pressing Emma back against the doorframe, she held her there with her hands on her shoulders.  Tilting her head down, she began a slow, gentle kiss, before probing Emmas' lips open and hesitantly running her tongue between them.  Drawing back, she replied breathlessly.

          "About doing that."

          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh….lookie.  Another….um….cliff-hanger.   Remember – if u hurt me for this I can't post the rest!  Ha ha!  Protection!  


	5. Part Five

Control

Disclaimer; notminenotminenotminenotminenotminenotmine…. Not mine :) 

Part 5

Emma slowly opened her eyes, as at some point during the kiss they had closed.  Noticing Emmas' lack of response, Shalimar instantly assumed the worst.  

          "Oh, no."  Moving away to lean on the other side of the open doorframe, she closed her eyes and sighed.  "I'm sorry Emma, I guess I just…."  She stopped when she felt Emmas' fingertips on her lips.

          "….moved away too fast."  Emma finished for her.  Shalimar opened her eyes in surprise, to find Emma staring into them, eyes dilated.  Gently pulling Shalimar into her room, Emma closed the door behind them, turning the lock. 

          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pushing Shalimar down onto the edge of the bed, Emma straddled her, sitting on her lap with one knee either side of her, as Shalimars hands instinctively moved to Emmas' waist to support her.  Putting her hands on Shalimars shoulders, Emma moved closer, kissing her way up from the base of her neck, along her jaw-line; winding one hand up round the back of her neck.

             Pulling away, Emma ran her hands through Shalimars' hair, breathing heavily.  "You're sure you want this?"  she asked, not looking into her eyes "….because if we go much further, I'm not sure I'll be able to turn back again."  

          Reaching up with one hand, Shalimar cupped Emmas' face in it, caressing her as Emma moved into the touch.  Pulling Emma towards her, she kissed her, more forceful this time, making it clear what her answer was and what she wanted.  Exploring Emmas' mouth with her tongue, she slid her hand down from Emmas' cheek along her side, resting it on the top of her thigh, near her hip.  Smiling as she felt Emmas' sharp intake of breath at her touch, she smoothly stroked her thumb back and forth across her leg, feeling the rapid rise and fall of Emmas' chest against her own.

          Breaking the kiss, Emma leant her forehead against Shalimars.  "God I missed you" she sighed.  "I thought I'd lost you forever."

          "No chance" Shalimar replied.  "You're not getting rid of me now."  She chuckled softly.  "Betcha regret that."  

          Lifting her head to look her in the eyes, Emma stared at her. "Never."  she murmured.  Tilting her head slightly, she caught Shalimars' mouth with her own; at first gentle, but then more insistent, demanding.  

          Keeping a firm grip on Emmas' waist, Shalimar laid down, taking Emma with her.  Running her hands up her back, she pulled on her shoulders, bringing her down on top of her, then rolling her onto her back.

          Supporting her weight on her arms, Shalimar gazed down at Emma, memorising the way she looked; the slight flush to her cheeks, the brightness of her eyes, the way her hair fanned across the sheets below.  Blushing under the other womans' scrutiny, Emma reached up and wound her hands around Shalimars' neck, pulling herself up to softly kiss her.  Sliding back down, she slid her hands round from the back of her neck to the front, then down her chest and sides.  Closing her eyes, Shalimar focused on the sensations Emmas' hands were creating.  Watching her flinch at the contact with her sides, Emma slid her hands back up, taking hold of the zipper to Shalimars' tight black leather top.  Slowly pulling it down, she ran her finger along the bare skin, sliding her hands inside the jacket and around her waist, brushing across her firm stomach.  A small groan escaped Shalimars' mouth, her lips parting slightly.  

          Stretching up, Emma lightly kissed Shalimars' open mouth, then trailed the tip of her tongue down her neck, kissing the soft skin there, then continued down between the valley of her breasts and across her stomach, circling Shalimars' navel.  Once again, Shalimar moaned, then pulled Emma up to her, holding her tightly against her as she forcefully kissed her, their tongues joining in fierce battle as their passions grew.

          Pushing Emma down again, Shalimar slid her hands up her top, pulling it over Emmas' head, then skimmed her hands down her bare sides.  Reaching the hem of her jeans, she ran her finger round the inside of them, tugging at them slightly.  Gasping, Emma arched up towards her, grabbing Shalimars' head and pulling her in for a passionate kiss.  Meanwhile, Shalimar continued to play with the rim of Emmas' jeans, eventually undoing the button and pulling down the zipper.  

          Emma transferred her attentions to Shalimars' neck, giving her the opportunity to speak.

          "Tell me…exactly how often…do you go commando?"  She could feel Emmas' smile on her skin as she changed her focus to Shalimars' throat.  Arching her head back to give her better access, Shalimar groaned, the vibrations rolling over Emmas' mouth.  

          Taking advantage of Shalimars' distraction, Emma moved her hands up to her shoulders, maintaining her attentions to her throat.  Pushing at the jacket Shalimar still wore, she muttered "You're wearing….far too many….clothes….Miss Fox."

          Panting, Shalimar forced Emmas' head back up so she could reach her mouth.  "Care….to give me a hand….with that problem….Miss DeLauro?" she replied 

          "Oh certainly" Emma obliged, pushing the jacket entirely off her shoulders.  As Shalimar shrugged it off of her arms, Emma wasted no time in turning her attentions to the pair of black trousers that were still form-fitted to her body.  

          Growling in frustration at her inability to remove the offending clothing, she knelt upright, forcing Shalimar onto her back.  Crawling between her bent raised legs, she finally got the clasp open, tugging the trousers down past Shalimars knees and over her bare feet.  "You're one to talk about going commando" she smirked as she ran her hands up the inside of Shalimars' legs, gliding over the top and around to her hips.

Propping herself up on her elbows, Shalimar watched as Emma worked her way back up towards her.  Abruptly hooking her legs around Emmas' middle, she pulled her closer to her.  

"And you're one to talk about wearing too many clothes" she replied as she slid Emmas' jeans down with her feet.  Encircling Emmas' neck with her arms, her legs crossed behind Emmas' back, Shalimar dragged her down fully on top of her. 

Alternating between kissing and nipping, she focused on working her way down Emmas' neck and across her shoulders.  Midway across her collarbone, she jumped when she felt Emmas' finger lightly stroking along her skin, slowly but gradually working its way down her right side.  Holding tightly to Emma, she trembled as her hand moved across her breast, stroking and circling, then down her abdomen.  Running her hand through Emmas' hair, she pulled her in for a soft kiss, then brought her hand up from her abdomen to kiss the palm of her hand, her wrist, then her face again.  Lacing her other hand with Emmas', she repeated her actions.  Feeling Emmas' hand return to its original position, she held her breath as it moved further down, running through her curls, then gently brushing over her clitoris.  

Arching her back, she dug her fingers into Emmas' shoulder, burying her face in her neck as she whimpered.  Slowly entering her, Emma continued her light touches, whilst allowing Shalimar to adjust to the feel of her.  

Beginning a gentle rhythm, she was acutely aware of Shalimars scent, sounds, expressions, and movements.  Increasing the pace, she knew she was close.  

Feeling her body respond to her touch, she held her as Shalimar bit down on her shoulder to stifle her cries; the exhaustion and turmoil of the past days catching up with her as she rapidly went over the edge, shuddering and collapsing against her. 

Laying her back onto the bed, Emma pulled her into her arms and covered them both with the blanket.  Looking down at her, she tenderly brushed loose strands of hair away from her sweat-soaked brow.  At her soft touch, Shalimar dazedly opened her eyes, looking up into Emmas'.  She rubbed her thumb against Emmas' hand where their hands were still entwined. 

"Thank you" she whispered, curling into her embrace, resting her head on Emmas' chest.

"For what?"  Emmas' forehead creased, puzzlement on her face.

"For still being my friend.  For not turning me away after all I did to you."  She nuzzled into Emma.  "For what you just gave me."

Holding her close, Emma rested her chin on Shalimars head.  "You don't have to thank me for any of that Shalimar.  I did it because I love you."

Shalimars eyes opened at her words, disbelief on her face.  Did she just say that she….no, she meant it in a platonic sense Shalimar….there's no chance….is there? She looked up at Emma, uncertainty and confusion on her face.   

"I…."  She tried to say the words herself, but they wouldn't come out.  She knew inside that she felt the same way; had for a while now, but still she couldn't say the words out loud.  She looked back down, ashamed at her inability to express her affection as easily as Emma had.

"Shal….I don't expect you to reciprocate my feelings.  I just want you to know that, for me, this wasn't just a random fling.  I *do* have genuine feelings for you, but I'll understand if you want to forget this happened."  This time it was Emmas' turn to look away, a hint of sorrow lacing her voice.

Horrified, Shalimar looked back up at her.  "No, Emma…." she choked out.  "It's not that….I just…."  She fell silent again, struggling with her feelings.

Emma could sense the turmoil within her.  Tilting her head to look her in the eyes, she asked softly "Do you feel at all the same about me?"  Shalimar nodded slightly, her eyes confessing her love, but also expressing her fears and doubts that the confession brought.  "Then nothing else matters."  

She moved, spooning up behind her.  Shalimar sighed in contentment as Emma slid an arm around her waist, protectively holding her, hand resting on Shalimars' stomach.  

Listening to Emmas' steady breathing, feeling the rise and fall of her chest against her back, she fell asleep, hand intertwined with Emmas'.

          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Emma awoke during the night, unsure of what had disturbed her.  Looking down, she saw that Shalimar was still asleep.  Listening carefully for any signs of danger, she could hear none.  Deciding she had imagined it, Emma snuggled back into the bed, tucking the covers back around them from where they'd slipped down in the night.  Closing her eyes, she began to fall asleep again when she heard it – a low growl.  Opening her eyes again, she looked back at Shalimar.  Cautiously scanning her, she read the feelings from her.  Once again Shalimar snarled, this time louder, more threatening, yet at the same time scared, fearful. 

Opening her mind fully to that of Shalimars', she saw flashes, images of a laboratory, then a prison cell; felt intense pain, helplessness as her friends were tortured and killed before her.  Closing herself to the horrific scenes, she felt Shalimar squirming in her grasp, low growls punctuated by the occasional whimper.  

Attempting to reach up to Shalimar, Emma noticed for the first time that she had her hand in a vice-like grip.  Rather than wake her, Emma once again entered Shalimars' mind, replacing the terrifying images with peaceful ones, soothing her mind.  Reaching up with her free hand, she stroked Shalimars' hair and face.

"It's okay Shal; you're safe, at Sanctuary.  Nothing's gonna hurt you, it's just your imagination."  Continuing to smooth her hair back from her face, she whispered words of comfort and reassurance, feeling Shalimar relax her hold on her hand, the tension leaving her body.  Waiting patiently, she watched her return to a restful sleep, the whimpers eventually ceasing.  Laying her head back down on the pillow, Emma watched over her until she could no longer keep her eyes open, and fell back into a deep sleep.

          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Waking first in the morning, Shalimar laid still, content to be wrapped in Emmas' arms.  She sighed, thinking back over the strange events that had led to her current position.  She smiled  Hell this whole….relationship?...is weird! She was so used to being the alpha partner in her relationships; it was kind of nice to let someone else take control.  It surprised her – she'd always thought of Emma as a sort of quiet, shy person, but she'd seen a different side of Emma recently.  ….and liked it as well! she thought to herself, chuckling.

The sound woke Emma, who shifted slightly behind her.  "Good morning" she murmured into Shalimars' neck.

Reaching up behind her, Shalimar twisted and gently pulled Emmas' head down to meet hers, pulling her into a passionate, probing kiss.  Ending the contact, she kept their lips bare millimetres apart.

"I love you" she breathed, no hesitation or fear in her voice.  Closing the short distance between them, she began another deep kiss.

Pulling back in surprise, Emma stared back at her.  "What….why…."

Shalimar interrupted her bewildered questioning.  "I was thinking about everything that's been happening lately, and I realised that I can't go on living in fear of getting hurt.  Not when I've got a chance of true happiness right beside me" Kissing her briefly once more, she laid back into Emmas' hold.

Burying her head back into Shalimars' neck, Emma kissed her throat, idly stroking her stomach with her thumb. 

"I'm glad you realised that"

"Mmm…."  Shalimar purred at the contact on her stomach, closing her eyes in pleasure.  

"Stop purring" Emma gasped from behind.  Grinning, Shalimar turned to look at her. 

"Why?"  she asked, drawing the word out, already knowing the answer.  

"Because…."  Emma ground out between gritted teeth. "It's turning me on.  As you well know."  Shalimar grinned ferally, her eyes lighting up.  She did already know the effect it was having on Emma; her heightened senses enabled her to smell her arousal.

"Oh, really?"  Rolling over, she half-laid on Emma, folding her arms across her chest and looking down at her.  "And that's a bad thing because….?"

"Because…."  Emma stretched up and kissed her on the nose.  "You have to meet Adam in half an hour for a check-up."

Shalimar groaned and put her head down on her arms. 

"Aw no, it's too early for a check-up."  Glancing up to look at Emma, a sly grin appeared on her face.  "You know…." she began, "you could cancel my appointment with him….tell him I'm still asleep or something."

"Oh no you don't, you're gonna go and have that check-up if I have to drag you down there myself."

"Oh?  That could be fun" she smirked, gaining a raised eyebrow from Emma.  "Aw c'mon Emma, you know what Adam's like in the mornings, especially if he's been up all night again.  He's mean!"  Sidling up to her she purred. "I'll make it worth your while if you let me stay…."  

Emma slid to the side, moving slightly out of her reach.  "Not gonna work Shal."  

Shalimar smiled, showing her teeth.  "You know I'm gonna take that as a challenge, right?"  Regaining her hold on Emma, she began to kiss and nip her way down her body.  Groaning, Emma threw her head back, surrendering to Shalimars' ministrations.

          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Adam to Emma." Jerking upright, startled at the sound of Adams' voice over the com-link, she stammered a reply.

"Yeah….uh.…yes I'm here Adam"

"I was wondering if you could bring Shalimar down for her check-up.  You know how stubborn she is about these things.  She'll do anything to get out of them."

Preparing to answer him, Emma gasped out loud as Shalimar reached a particularly sensitive area on her body.  Shalimar looked up at her from where she had worked her way down under the covers, a mischievous grin lighting up her face and eyes.  "*Anything*" she mouthed silently at her, grinning seductively.

"Emma, are you alright?"  Adams' concerned voice came over the link.  

"Yeah, I'm….fine" Emma managed to get out, as Shalimar focused all of her attentions on that one area.  Reaching down, Emma grabbed her head and pulled her away from her body.  Shalimar instantly transferred her attention to Emmas' hand.  Kissing her palm, she nipped her wrist; looking back up to Emma and raising both eyebrows briefly, accompanied by her sly smile.

"Umm….yeah about Shalimar" Emma continued.  "I just dropped by to check on her….and she was still….asleep.  It might be a good idea to leave her to sleep it off first."  Tuning out of what Shalimars' wandering hands and mouth were doing to her, she focused on her conversation with Adam.

"Okay, that's probably a good idea.  Do you want to keep an eye on her or shall I?"

"I'll do it" Emma quickly responded.  "You can continue with your lab work then." she hastily covered.

"Alright then.  Call me when she wakes up."

As Adam cut the link, Emma returned her focus to the current events.  

"I got you out of your check-up for a few hours" she said.  "You can stop torturing me now."

Shalimars' head poked up from under the covers.  "And what if I don't want to stop?  I'm kind of enjoying myself here" she grinned wickedly.  Taking Emmas' hand again, she kissed each finger in turn, then took the index finger into her mouth, swirling her tongue round the tip.

"Ohh, no" Emma moaned, writhing against her.  "Too much, stop" she begged.

"Hmm….no.  This is too much fun" Shalimar replied, turning her attention back to the sensitive spot just below Emmas ribs.  Ducking back under the covers, she continued her journey down Emmas' body, exploring every inch whilst managing to avoid the one place Emma burned to be touched.  Completing her physical exploration, she pulled away, breaking all contact. 

Laughing at Emmas' frustrated groan, she crawled back up the bed and laid beside her, head propped up on one arm.  Emma rolled to face her.

"You're mean, you know that?"  she smiled, reaching out a hand to play with Shalimars' long hair.

"Yeah, but you can't resist me".  She smiled lopsidedly, looking into Emmas' eyes.  Leaning in towards her, head tilted slightly, Emma gazed back.

"You know me too well"  she murmured as she made contact with Shalimars' lips.  The kiss was soft, gentle; none of the passion from before present; purely an expression of deep affection.  Shalimar sighed in contentment.

"Mm.  Did anyone ever tell you, you're really….really….good at that?"  she punctuated her words with light kisses across Emmas' face and neck.

Emma was beginning a response when she felt Shalimar lean heavily on her.  Looking down, she saw that she'd slumped against Emmas' chest.  Concerned, Emma rubbed her bare shoulder.

"Shal?"  when there was no response, she gently shook her.  "Shal?"

Shalimar moaned, shaking her head and trying to sit upright.  Helping her, Emma moved so that she could look her in the face.

"Open your eyes for me, c'mon."  Looking up at her with glazed eyes, Shalimar held a hand to her head.

"I don't feel so good Emma"

"Its okay Shal, we'll just get you down to the lab – Adam will figure out what's wrong."  Standing up to move off the bed, she suddenly realised neither of them were in any state to be going outside of the room.  Pulling a shirt over her head, she eased Shalimar into a long night shirt.  Helping her to stand, she pulled one of Shalimars' arms around her shoulder, holding onto the hand dangling down by her neck, and wrapping her other arm around her waist.

"Okay Shalimar, lets try walking now, yeah?"  Shalimar nodded slightly, swaying as she moved ahead.  Stumbling, she pitched forwards, until Emma caught her around the waist and stabilised her.

"Adam.  Adam, there's something wrong with Shalimar.  I'm bringing her down to the lab."

"Okay, I'm heading there now.  Can you manage her on your own?

"I'll try."  Moving Shalimar out of the room into the hallway, they slowly made their way down the corridor; Shalimar half leaning on Emma, half leaning on the wall.

Brennen appeared from around the corner, out of breath.  Going to the other side of Shalimar, he helped Emma support her as they walked.

"Adam called, said there something up?  You okay?"  he directed the question at Emma, who was struggling under Shalimars weight.

"I'm fine – Shalimar just suddenly felt ill. I'm not sure what's wrong with her.

"Stop….talking….'bout me….like I'm not here."  Shalimar mumbled.  "I'm fine."  Pitching forwards again, she lost her balance.  Grabbing hold of her, Brennen swept her into his arms and carried her to the lab.  Laying her out on the table, he moved aside as Emma moved to stand beside her.  Holding her hand, she moved in to speak to her.

"Shal, you still with me?"

"Uh huh.  All the way."  She smiled faintly, lightly squeezing Emmas' hand.  

Smiling slightly in return, Emma reached out a hand to stroke back her hair, resting it upon her shoulder.  Moving her other hand up, Shalimar covered it with her own.

Adam appeared beside them.  I'm just going to run a few tests now, so keep still."  He smiled at her reassuringly, patting her on the shoulder as he went over to the medical computers.

          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A short time later, Adam came up to them.  Emma was still beside Shalimar, but had moved a stool up so she could talk with her.

"Shalimar, how are you feeling now?"

"I'm fine Adam, just a little woozy I guess."

"It's not surprising – your system's had quite a shock these last few days.  You're bound to have a few side-effects.  What were you doing when you felt faint?"

Shalimar and Emma both reddened slightly.  "I'd, um, just sat up in bed.  Must've moved too fast I guess"

"Yes, well it's a good job you were there Emma"

"Uh, yeah" Emma croaked, not looking at him.  "I'd just gone in to see if she was ready for her check-up"

"Well, it seemed that Eckhart had used some kind of neurological implantation device to 'push' you out of control Shalimar.  It'll take a while for you to get completely back to normal.  I've given you something to help with that.  Until then, I suggest you rest for a few days.  It'll give everyone a chance to take a break"

Nodding, Shalimar began to push herself up off the bed.  Brennen and Emma both moved in to help her.

"Easy Shal; remember this is what did it last time, right?  Take it slower."  Brennen supported her back as she sat up.  Resting her hand on his forearm she smiled at him.

"I'm fine Bren, honestly.  Just a little tired – I didn't sleep too well last night.  I'm just gonna head up to my room and sleep I think" Turning to Emma, facing away from Brennen, she winked.  "Care to give me a hand with that?"

Blushing, Emma coughed.  "Uh , yeah, yeah….get you to your room. C'mon then" Reaching out a hand she helped her off the bed, once again supporting her.  Together they walked out of the laboratory.

          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Heading up the corridor, Emma leapt forward as Shalimar stumbled.

"Are you okay?  Do you want to go back to the lab?"

"Emma, I'm fine.  Just lost my balance a bit.  Quit worrying – I'm alright."

"Yeah well, I guess the fact that you agreed to the whole bed-rest thing has me kinda worried.  I mean, usually you're all action, and not wanting to sit still."

Shalimar smirked.  "Who said I was gonna be sitting still?  Believe me, I'm still action girl."  She raised her eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh no you don't, you were told to rest.  Maybe if you'd done what you were told last time and gone to your check-up this wouldn't have happened.  You're gonna do what you're told missy."

Shalimar sighed dramatically.  "Okay then."

"Okay?  Did you just say okay? No fighting, or arguing, or…."  

Interrupting her, Shalimar pushed her against the wall and forced her mouth open with her tongue.  When neither could breathe, she pulled back, smirking at Emmas' dazed expression.

"Okay then, I'll do *anything* you say" Kissing her again, she kept her pinned against the wall.  "And as you can see, we ferals regain our strength *very* quickly"

"Mm."  Emma blinked.  "What was that you were saying about bed-rest?  Should really start it immediately you know; wouldn't want to miss out on any of that rest time."

"Suits me" Shalimar replied as they walked down the hallway together.  "You know, I think I'll need you to stay and look after me – you never know when I might come over faint again"  Grinning, she pulled her into her room with her, closing the door behind them.

End.


End file.
